The cave
by firsttry
Summary: Merlin and Arthur find themselves trapped in a cave where only the truth can be said. With nothing to do they start to talk.
1. Chapter 1

The cave was beautiful. Its walls were shining in all possible colours. The roof of the cave was covered with green vines that made it look majestic. One could forget all about his troubles just watching the lights dancing in the cave.

That is, if one knew he could get out of it. Merlin and Arthur didn't have such privilege. They had gone in the cave willingly, following the extraordinary deer that they, actually, Arthur, were hunting. However, as soon as they had gone in it, they heard a loud crash and, looking back, saw that the entrance had collapsed. They had no way out and started to explore the cave.

Going further in the cave they saw the deer. It looked as if it had waited for them. Suddenly the deer vanished. With it went Arthur's crossbow, which he had taken with him in the pursuit of the deer. Arthur and Merlin looked at each other in confusion. Merlin silently steeled himself to defend Arthur for any possible attack.

"There is no need for that, young man; I do not wish to harm your friend. All I wish for is to help strengthen the bond between you." The voice seemed to come from the walls of the cave, but there was no one there. Merlin visibly relaxed, there seemed to be no danger to Arthur.

"Who are you? Why have you trapped us in this cave?" Arthur asked feeling helpless without his sword. He wished he had taken it with him, not left at the horses by the cave. He had thought then that this would be an ordinary hunt. Arthur could not have been any more wrong.

"My identity is of no importance. What is important is what is and what must come to be."

Merlin laughed at the comment, the voice reminded him of an old friend who also liked to avoid answering questions.

"This cave contains ancient magic." Arthur stiffened at the mention of magic. The voice continued "It will not harm you. But it will affect you." Arthur looked confused, magic was evil; how can this magic affect them without harming them?

"I see you are confused, Arthur Pendragon. Have no worries, the magic will have no effect on you physically. This is the Cave of Verities. It permits no falsehoods to be uttered. You have been brought here by destiny, for your destiny can only be if you are truthful."

Merlin was getting nervous. This could not be. It was not the time. Arthur thought magic was evil. He had to get them out of here. Destiny didn't want Arthur to kill him, did it? This was just like his nightmares – Arthur would find out, Merlin would have nowhere to run and the results would be disastrous. "This is going to be horrible," he thought.

Arthur registered Merlin's nervousness and thought that maybe this would not be so bad. His servant obviously had something he wanted to hide. And there had been many times when Arthur could have sworn that Merlin had lied to him. He just hadn't been able to get the servant to tell the truth. Now was his chance to once and for all solve the puzzle that is Merlin. "This may turn out to be great," Arthur thought.

"The magic in the cave will feel when the truth that has to be known has been revealed. Then, and only then, will the passage to freedom appear. But be warned, the path of freedom requires both of you to walk it. Consider your questions and answers carefully, for you may reveal some truths that are best left hidden. Now I leave you, for my part is done, it is yours that must begin now."

With that the voice faded out and Arthur and Merlin were left looking at each other in silence. One – eager to question and the other – scared to answer.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, this is the Cave of Verities. I guess we just have to wait until the knights find us. Even magic could not stand in the way of knights searching for their king, right?" Arthur asked, trying to start a conversation because all Merlin had done when the voice disappeared was look around for an exit. Needless to say, his search provided no results.

"Oh, the knights would stand no chance against magic. The cave will release us when I tell you my secret and that's it." Merlin covered his mouth in shock. He hadn't meant to tell that. Great, now Arthur will wonder what his secret is. He will start to question and there is nowhere to run. Merlin knew he would have to tell it eventually but decided to avoid it for as long as possible.

Meanwhile Arthur felt a little bit offended. "Why do you think your secret has to be told? I have secrets too; there are many things I don't tell you."

"Are you serious? Arthur, I know everything about you. For God's sake, I help you dress yourself. You couldn't keep a secret from me even if you wanted to." Merlin said with an amused smile.

Arthur had to agree, Merlin was his best friend – of course he knew everything about Arthur. But he still felt a bit hurt – Merlin knew everything about him but still kept secrets from him. He had thought they trusted each other equally. It seems that it wasn't the case.

Merlin watched as emotions changed in his friends face. Seeing hurt in it he felt he had to say something. "Arthur? Remember, this is the Cave of Verities, so everything I will tell you now is the truth. I wanted to tell you my secret but I felt you weren't ready. I don't think you are ready now, so I will try to avoid telling it for as long as possible. I will answer all your questions and you will find out more about me than you probably wanted to. But I will not part from my one greatest secret easily. I think that you and I both are not ready for it to come to light." Merlin finished his speech and waited for Arthur to react.

"Well, if I have learned anything from the years I spent with you, it is that I have to trust you and do as you tell me when you are in your "serious" mood." Arthur smiled warmly at his servant. "But that does not mean I agree with you. I think we will be able to withstand any secret you have. Our friendship is strong and one secret, as big as it may be, will do it no harm."

Merlin wanted to believe it but he could not. He remembered that Arthur thought magic took away both his parents. The only way he could believe that their relationship would not change was if he would see it. But for it to happen he would have to tell, and he feared it more than anything.

"Maybe start with the small things? That way you can prepare yourself for the great secret." Merlin asked hopefully.

Arthur agreed. "Fine, I will start with one thing that has always puzzled me."

Merlin waited anxiously for the question.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you always cold?" Merlin looked at Arthur in confusion. What kind of a question was that? "Do I look cold?" he asked because it was the only logical answer he could think of.

Arthur left out an exasperated sigh. Leave it to Merlin to completely miss the point of the question

"The neckerchief!" he pointed towards it to make his servant understand. "Why are you always wearing it? And why is it red?" Arthur asked and Merlin visibly relaxed. "Oh, that's what this is about. If only all the questions would be this easy" he thought.

"That's my style. How else would you be able to find me in a crowd of servants?" Merlin said with a crooked grin.

Arthur laughed at this.

"Don't worry I would find you. Your ears would give you away. I would just have to look around for the servant who could fly away if he clapped his ears." Arthur nudged Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin sent him a glare. "My ears are not that big," he murmured. Arthur looked very proud about his joke.

Merlin decided to ignore the prat and returned to the answer. "Also, I am quite thin, and thin people get cold easier. Not that you would know, Mr-my-belt-is-one-hole-short-of-perfection."

"Are you calling me fat again?" Arthur pointed a finger at Merlin in a warning. "Because if you are, the stocks will be waiting for you when we get back to Camelot." Merlin rolled his eyes at this. Arthur had threatened him with stocks often, sure, but the last time he had actually spent time in them had been years ago.

Arthur realised he had told the truth – the stocks really would be waiting for Merlin – but not in the sense that was implied. He would not put his friend in the stocks – the stocks would just be there when they returned. In that sense, he could say the stocks were waiting for him too.

Since he couldn't think of any better retort to Merlin's rudeness Arthur did the one thing he knew he could rely on. He blamed his servant. "Actually, it is your job to make sure I eat healthy. You bring me food. So you are to blame." The king finished looking proud at his fast escape of the situation.

"I can't regulate what you eat in the feasts. And lately you have made feasts for the most ridiculous things. Did you really think that a successful hunt called for a feast? And if I remember correctly, it wasn't that successful – you caught three rabbits." Merlin looked at Arthur like a disappointed older brother even though he was younger.

"But those rabbits were fast," Arthur knew it was a weak excuse. "When did this simple question about your neckerchief turn into discussion about my eating habits?" Arthur tried to change the subject but Merlin didn't allow it.

"I think your constant overeating is more important than my clothing. A few more feasts and Gwen won't even want to look at you." Merlin said sternly but some humour could be felt under the words. He knew that mentioning Gwen will make his king rethink his behaviour.

Hearing these words Arthur tried to imagine Guinevere looking at him lovingly while he slowly grows bigger horizontally. As the mental image of him grew, Guinevere's loving face adopted the expression of disgust. Arthur shuddered. "Fine, we will have less feasts when we get back." he agreed reluctantly. "But you still haven't told me about the colour. Why red?"

"Why not?" Merlin simply said.

"So you would wear a yellow scarf if I gave one to you?" Arthur asked raising an eyebrow.

Merlin tried to imagine himself with a yellow scarf. He sometimes swapped his scarf for a blue one, but yellow? Could he? Merlin lifted his head in resolve. There was no question, he just couldn't do it.

"No, my whole outfit would be ruined. You see, I have had the same clothes for a long time. Any change now would just feel too weird." he explained and shrugged.

"But why haven't you changed your clothes before? You were the prince's servant, you definitely had opportunities. Gaius wears mostly robes but even he changes at least their colour from time to time." Arthur wondered about his friend's peculiar attitude towards his clothes.

"Honestly, these were the clothes I wore when I was in Ealdor. You could say in the beginning they felt like a link to my mother. I was in an unfamiliar place, I was alone, the only person I knew was Gaius. I just needed something to remind me who I really am. I needed some link to my past. I guess." Merlin finished, suddenly shy to have revealed all this to Arthur.

Arthur was at loss for words. He hadn't realised the clothes meant so much to his friend. He couldn't say he understood completely; he had grown up in Camelot and spent all his life there, he had never needed a reminder of his home. But he recognised the feeling of missing something or someone, so he just patted his friend on the back and sat down next to him.

Merlin lifted his head and saw compassion in the king's eyes.

And that was it, they both knew the question of the neckerchief could not be discussed any further. Merlin knew this was the easiest question; his secret hadn't even been in the danger of being discovered.

Next questions would be harder to answer. Arthur opened his mouth to say it. Merlin gripped the rock he had sat on.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, since we started to speak about eating… Remember that time when you stole my food because you wanted to "Keep me fit"?" Arthur looked at his friend suspiciously. "I was not fat then, so what was the real reason?" the king kept his gaze on Merlin.

Merlin was surprised. He hadn't expected this question. At that time he had simply assumed that Arthur had accepted his lies. He knew it would hurt to answer, to remember Freya. So he tried to buy himself more time, to prepare himself.

"Why didn't you ask me then? Why wait so long?"

Arthur simply shrugged. "I saw how upset you were at that time. I am not as thick as you think I am; I know you weren't sulking because I dumped water on you. If that were the case you would just get some kind of revenge. It looked more serious than that." Merlin hadn't expected that, he started to wonder. Maybe he didn't really know everything about his friend…

Arthur interrupted Merlin's thoughts. "And later I just forgot about it, because you seemed fine. I wanted to ask you about it but I never had the chance, you know, I got attacked a lot by magic beings at that time." Merlin smiled at that, of course they got attacked less often now. With Morgana gone he had been successful in convincing most of the magical population about Arthur's role in the destiny of Camelot. But Arthur didn't know that, so he just viewed it as a bizarre coincidence.

"So what really happened to the food?" Arthur was relentless; he was determined to find out the answer. After finding out that the at-that-time-prince had been concerned about him Merlin knew he deserved to know the truth about Freya.

"I brought it to Freya, the druid girl that had escaped from the cage. I helped her escape and kept her in the underground catacombs of the city." Merlin looked down, not daring to look Arthur in the eyes. Doing it would cause him to lose concentration and losing it would mean completely feeling the hurt. He knew he would not be able to stop the tears.

Arthur looked confused. "Well, that would explain the dresses you took "for Gaius". But why would you do that? Didn't you know she had magic? Didn't you know she would try to destroy Camelot?"

Merlin felt angry. Of course, Arthur thought she was evil because she had magic.

He spoke without thinking. "I did it because I loved her. She was my only love, and now she is dead. If you cared to look closer you would understand that she was never evil, she didn't want to destroy Camelot. The only reason she turned into an uncontrollable beast at night was because she was cursed. And–"

Arthur quietly interrupted Merlin's rant. "You loved her?" he spoke quietly. "I killed your love. I am deeply sorry for that. If I had known then what I know now, we would have found a way to save her from the evils of magic." The king looked sadly at his servant.

Merlin felt anger rising again but then he carefully studied his friend's expression. He recognised sincere regret in the look and felt his anger fading. "Arthur, it was not the evil of magic that harmed her, it was the evil in humans. The curse didn't appear by itself, it was cast by a person. And only the person and his intentions can be blamed for what happened to her."

Merlin put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, trying to make him understand. Seeing realisation dawning in his friend's face he continued. "It was meant to be like that between me and her." Arthur looked at Merlin in confusion. Merlin explained further "When she was killed I brought her to a place we had talked about. We wanted to leave Camelot and live quietly by the lake. I was ready to leave Camelot for her. I was ready to leave everyone – Gaius, Gwen, you." Arthur looked surprised; he hadn't realised how deep Merlin's love was and how close he had come to losing his best friend. "Even though saying goodbye to her was heart-breaking, it was necessary. She became the lady in the lake and helped us take back Camelot from Morgana. Besides, if I had left, you would have been killed instantly. We both know you couldn't survive a day without me." Merlin attempted to lift the solemn mood.

Arthur carefully thought about what Merlin had said. In the Cave of Verities only truth was said. So magic wasn't evil? Could it actually be so? And did Merlin really save his life every day? Was he really that indebted to his servant? Was he really so helpless? Shaking his head the king resolved to move forward slowly. The question he had thought would have a quick and painless answer had brought up more questions and hurt his friend.

"I think I would manage. It would be boring, but I think I could keep myself from getting killed for one day. You underestimate me, Merlin." Merlin shot a look at him that said "I don't think so" but stayed silent.

Arthur stood up to banish the stiffness that had started to creep up his legs from the long sitting on the rock.

"Ready for the next question, Merlin? Let's hope this one will bring less hurt to you." Arthur asked, suddenly looking hesitant to ask, fearing he would bring up bad memories for his friend.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Don't worry about the memories hurting me. I have had plenty of time to make peace with all my regrets and mistakes. The memories only hurt when they come unexpected." Merlin weakly smiled at Arthur.

"Go ahead; ask me anything, I will survive."


	5. Chapter 5

"I remember seeing you and Guinevere together a lot back when you just started to work for me. And don't tell me it was because you were both servants. I don't see you spending your time around other servants now. So did you have a thing for her back then?" Arthur looked serious but a hint of playfulness was evident behind the words.

Merlin replied with an amused expression. "Seriously? Is that what you really want to know? Arthur, we are in a unique situation when we can tell only the truth and you want to know if I liked your wife?" The servant tried to comprehend his friend's motives but just couldn't. The question seemed too random; it completely put him out of the serious mood from the previous conversation.

"Don't worry about my reasons, just answer the question." Arthur said, suddenly looking embarrassed. At that moment Merlin finally understood. Arthur didn't particularly care about the answer. He just wanted to give Merlin an easy answer that could in no way cause hurt to him. The king was actually concerned about the emotional wellbeing of his servant. Merlin decided to tease his friend a little.

"I can say that I saw her only as a friend. She was Morgana's maid, I was yours, so we usually had to follow you two. And since you had a thing for Morgana in the beginning, you two were often together, and so were we." Arthur face became dark red. He had forgotten he had once liked Morgana. Now thinking about her and knowing she was his sister made him feel foolish about his behaviour back then.

But then Arthur noted something in the way Merlin had answered. "Wait, you said you saw her as a friend. What did she see you as?" Merlin laughed quietly. He knew the king would pick up the meaning hidden behind his words. Now he had even more things to tease the king about. He was going to enjoy it.

"Gwen saw me as more. And all thanks to you. You know, she admired me for how I stood up to you on my first day in Camelot. She came by when I was in the stocks and flirted with me." Arthur had had his suspicions. Now they were proved and it didn't feel good.

Merlin continued. "Some time later she gave me a flower. Oh, remember that time when I drank the poison?" Arthur winced at the simple way Merlin had said it, he didn't want to remember it. It seemed like Merlin had no such reservation. But then again, he wasn't the one who had to watch his friend in pain and wait in the cells worrying if his best friend was alive.

A simple phrase brought Arthur out of his thoughts. "She kissed me when I woke up." Merlin waited for a reaction. The king immediately stopped walking around the cave. "Imagine that, she kissed me while you were in the cells for saving me." Merlin teased some more.

Evidently Merlin didn't feel as deeply about the event as Arthur did. "Stop." he said quietly. Merlin didn't hear him and continued.

"She even once told me "who would want to be Arthur's wife?" when we watched you and Morgana in a feast." Merlin teased some more, but started to feel he had gone too far when he looked at the king.

Arthur slumped on the ground and sat there looking at the colourful wall. He was completely still and looked utterly miserable. Merlin knew he had to make all this better. He was to blame for the king's condition and he will fix it.

Merlin stood up and walked next to his friend. He crouched down and bumped Arthur's shoulder. "Cheer up. When all that happened you were a bigger prat than you are now. You hadn't even noticed Gwen then. I can honestly tell you that the flirting stopped as soon as you started to notice her, even a bit earlier." Arthur started to look more hopeful.

"But how do I know she doesn't think like that anymore? How do I know she is happy with me and doesn't dream about you?" Arthur asked but couldn't keep a straight face at his last words and started to smile. The thought of Guinevere dreaming about Merlin was just too ridiculous.

"See, even you think it would be ridiculous if she dreamt about me." Merlin said softly. "You just have to look at her to know she is happy. I bet she had already forgotten the flirting. Whatever the case, she loves you. I don't even think she ever loved me, she probably just confused friendship with something more." Merlin saw his king smiling but there was still hurt in his eyes.

"What is wrong? Tell me. I know you are upset about something else." he carefully asked.

"How can you talk so easily about the poisoning?" Arthur asked, struggling with the last word. "I know everything turned out alright but I still remember seeing you there, completely helpless, slowly dying." Arthur closed his eyes trying to banish the unwanted images.

"It wasn't like that for me. Sure, I remember feeling horrible hurt. But I see it as more than simple poisoning. I see it as me saving you, you saving me. I remember it as one of the first times you openly showed how much you cared for me." Merlin smiled warmly at the king. "And how can I ever be hurt by those memories?"

Although the hurt was still there, Merlin's words made sense to Arthur. He had a choice – focus on the poisoning itself or the good things it brought. Merlin had made peace with it. Maybe it was time Arthur did it too.

"Fine. Let's move on. Going in this rate I will find out your secret sometime in the next year." Arthur said with a quiet laugh.

"I think these talks actually help me get ready for the reveal. A few more and maybe I'll tell it to you without asking." Merlin added.

The colours danced on the wall of the cave as Arthur prepared to ask the next question.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur opened his mouth to say the question but Merlin quickly interrupted him. He had had an idea. "I'm starting to think I don't know anything about you. I didn't know you had noticed me and Guinevere, or been concerned about me being sad." Arthur looked a bit hurt, did Merlin really think he cared so little for his friend? Merlin explained himself "I know you cared, I just didn't know you cared so much. You have to admit, you rarely show it." At these words the servant playfully pushed the king.

"So what are you saying? You have questions for me?" Arthur asked when he had regained balance.

"I can't think of any right at this moment. But don't be surprised if I interrupt your questioning from time to time and slip in some questions that come to my mind." Merlin looked in Arthur's eyes searching for an agreement.

"Merlin, you really are an idiot! I have asked you so many questions, it is only fair that you ask me questions whenever you want, you don't need my permission." Arthur broke the eye contact laughing. "I'm starting to wonder if you actually think before you speak" the king couldn't resist teasing his friend a little. Merlin couldn't help but join the laughter. He really had spoken without thinking. But his friend was right, Arthur had asked him questions; it was his right to ask the king some too. After laughing for some time they turned more serious.

"There is one thing that I have been wondering for a long time. It is not that important, but it has always bugged me." Arthur thoughtfully said. He hadn't been sure whether he should ask it. The question would make him look a bit mean and he was almost certain he wouldn't like Merlin's answer.

"Don't drag it out, just say it." Merlin urged feeling intrigued. "What could possibly have bugged Arthur?" he thought.

"Fine, here it goes. I have had many servants before you and, while none of them had complained about the workload, they have always struggled to do everything I asked them to." Arthur didn't think it was necessary to mention that a few servants had actually quit and gone to work in the fields saying that even a mule had an easier job.

"Yet you seem to be managing just fine, although I give you more chores than I did to them and you still have to help Gaius. So how exactly are you doing it? Any normal servant would have collapsed a long time ago." Arthur turned to look at his friend.

Merlin let out a loud laugh. "That's what has bugged you? That is one strange thing to fixate on, Arthur. But then again, you probably wonder how anyone does anything, since you just hunt or read some papers all day." Merlin just couldn't resist it; the whole question seemed like Arthur admitting that he does much less than his servant.

Arthur sent a glare his direction. "Just put my wonderings to rest, don't be…" the king struggled to think of an appropriate insult. He settled on using his usual expression "a clotpole."

Merlin rolled his eyes, he instantly recognised Arthur's go-to phrase. The king must really want to know the answer if he hadn't thought of a more creative insult. "Fine. It is simple, really. Through the years I have got to know you pretty well. So I know which tasks I should do and which ones you just make up to prove a point. Sure, at the beginning I did everything and it felt like I had no time for a personal life. Actually, I didn't have a personal life. Not sure if I do now." Merlin went on, becoming more and more thoughtful. Then he noticed Arthurs confused look and snapped out of it.

"But that's for another reason. I'll leave it for another question." Smiling weekly he quickly returned to the question at hand.

"So I completely ignore the chores you give me to prove a point. As for the other chores, you could say I do some of them half way. How many times do you think I actually polished your armour?" Merlin asked, turning to Arthur.

"I hope every time I asked. My armour is protects me and my reputation. To respect the king people have to see him dressed appropriately. The reflection of sun on my chest makes me seem important. And I like it when it shines, I can blind people by sending sun into their eyes." Arthur said and clasped hands over his mouth. He hadn't wanted to tell that last part. Great, now Merlin will have even more things to tease him about. He internally groaned.

Merlin laughed at the king admitting to still acting like a kid and tucked the information in his memory. It would definitely come useful the next time Arthur will act more pratty than usual.

"Oh, you know so little. Arthur, I would have to follow you with the armour in my hand, polishing it while accompanying you to feasts and hunts, if I polished it every time you asked. I just check if it looks even a bit shiny and give it to you. If it's not shiny I pour some oil on it. I mean, you have to know how to cut corners, otherwise I would become mad. This way everyone is happy – you get sun on your chest and in people's eyes, I stay sane. I see no downsides." Merlin smiled.

Seeing Arthur frown he quickly added "Of course, I do the important things that could save your life. I sharpen your sword, check for dents on the armour, feed the horses. And if I find that I can't manage, there is always" Merlin stopped himself. He had almost said "magic". He had to be more careful.

"What is there always?" Arthur asked, shattering the silence that had fallen when Merlin had suddenly stopped mid-sentence. For a reason he could not explain he was waiting anxiously for the continuation. He even leaned to Merlin's direction in anticipation. The air seemed to buzz around them; it was like the whole cave was buzzing with excitement.

Merlin didn't notice any of this as he frantically searched his mind to find another ending to the sentence, so that it would still be true. "Other servants! There is always other servants." Merlin knew the grammar wasn't actually right but he hoped Arthur would not notice. Arthur leaned back and the cave turned back to normal. The excitement disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and Arthur actually felt disappointed, though he could not tell why.

Meanwhile Merlin desperately tried to take Arthur's attention away from the inconsistent grammar. So he continued rambling "And Gaius, remember, when Gaius helped you dress? And there was also the time Gwen brought you food. And – and – and – the servant who joked about brass! Don't remember his name, was it George? I wonder what happened to him. I haven't seen him in a while, not after he showed me how to polish correctly and I told him his brass jokes don't seem funny to me. Or maybe it was Greg?"

Arthur looked at his servant with suspicion. The only times when Merlin rambled this frantically was when he was hiding something. Deciding he had plenty of time to find out what was the secret, Arthur decided to let it go for now.

"The servant's name was George." Even though they both knew that wasn't important Arthur felt the need to give respect to the most efficient servant in Camelot.

Looking at the worst servant in Camelot he continued "So I have found out that you are lazy and have many friends in the castle. Let's move on?" Even though it sounded like a question, Arthurs eyes made it an order. And Merlin was only happy to follow it.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, you are the worst servant possible – you don't do what I tell you to do and most of the time I can't even find you. If Gaius tells the truth when I ask him where you are then you are constantly at the tavern. Yet I have never seen you having a hangover. Has Gwaine shown you some trick to drinking?" Arthur looked genuinely interested. "If so you have to tell me about it. I have had enough of feeling horrible the next day after a feast." The king groaned, remembering one day when he had had to spend his day with a terrible headache and a bucket near him. That day he hadn't been able to do any of his duties – he felt too weak to train and reading just made his headache worse. He hoped to never experience it again but it had been difficult because feasts mostly consisted of people making toasts. And when someone made a toast he, as a king, had to set an example and drink to it. Whatever trick Merlin had, he could definitely use it.

Merlin nervously swallowed. He had to be careful, one slip and the secret would be out. Sure, it would be out later anyway but he wanted to reveal it in connection to his himself, not his alleged drinking. "Actually, I don't spend that much time in the tavern. The only times that I'm there are when Gwaine invites me, but I refuse most of his invitations because I want to stay sane, and when you want to play dice. I'm always happy to beat you in that game." he said, carefully choosing his words. Merlin knew the question that would follow so he tried to divert the king's attention by teasing him about losing to him. Sure, he had cheated to win but Arthur didn't know that. And never would if he could help it.

"You don't beat me that often." Arthur frowned. Merlin just smiled, of course he didn't win too often, it would be too suspicious if he did.

Arthur continued and asked the one question Merlin had feared he would ask "But if you are not in the tavern where do you disappear to so often?"

"I have no idea why Gaius tells you I'm in the tavern. I ask him to make up an excuse and the first thing he thinks about is the tavern? Why couldn't he have chosen the woods or some meadow, or even the lower town? Sometimes I think he does it on purpose. I remember this one time when I specifically told him to say anything but the tavern. You know what he said? The tavern! I was just behind the door when he said it. Maybe he likes seeing me in trouble. Or maybe he is just a terrible liar. But that couldn't be the case because he has kept my secret and that required lying. I'll have to ask him about it when we get back." Merlin tried to avoid answering but Arthur was not so easy to fool.

"Stop dancing around it. Just answer." Arthur said sternly but made a note in his mind that Gaius knew the secret Merlin was so scared to reveal to him.

Merlin sighed; Arthur wouldn't let it go until he answered. "Fine. I'll tell you some of it. But this will not be the whole truth; there will be some things I will leave out. You have to promise not to ask about them because I'm not ready yet." Merlin looked seriously at his friend. Arthur nodded, brimming with curiosity.

"Most of the times, actually, all the times when Gaius has told you that I'm at the tavern I have not been at the tavern. In fact, I was probably as far from a tavern as possible." Merlin slowly started, thinking about each word before he said it.

"I suspected as much by your long and unnecessary musings about Gaius's lying abilities, go on." Arthur quipped.

Merlin paid no attention to the slight mockery in Arthur's tone and continued "The tavern is an excuse. For me "the tavern" is usually an extremely dangerous adventure to save you, Camelot or people I, you, Gaius, Gwen or any of our friends hold dear. When I go to the tavern I leave the town, find the threat, fight it, sometimes almost die, and come back to hear you yelling at me and asking where I had been." Arthur looked guilty at his words. Merlin continued "So far I have managed to survive and get rid of most of the threats." The servant thought about Mordred, how he hadn't got rid of him despite the dragon's warnings. So he couldn't claim to have the perfect score, he laughed darkly. "I hope I will be so lucky all the times that are still coming." Merlin quickly added looking at the ground and avoiding his friends surprised eyes.

That was why he was taken by surprise when Arthur suddenly grabbed his shoulders and forced Merlin to look into his eyes. Disbelief, gratitude, surprise, and finally resolve were the emotions Merlin saw in the king's face.

"Do not dare to go to "the tavern" alone ever again. The next time you see a threat, you must come straight to me." Arthur said, struggling to get out the words. "You must have been incredibly lucky to survive it all. I do not want to see your luck run out, so from now on we will fight the threats together. Is that understood?" the king was completely serious, he didn't want Merlin to fight alone, he didn't even want to think about what could have happened if his servant wasn't so ridiculously lucky. He felt shivers run over his spine when he imagined how Merlin without him knowing rode out to face threats he never knew about and probably never would, had they not been in the cave. His clumsy servant really was the bravest man he ever knew.

"I cannot promise that." Merlin replied with conviction snapping Arthur out of his thoughts. "I have… a special way of dealing with the threats. It concerns my secret. Whether or not you will want to fight together after finding it out is up to you. But you should know, I have faced them alone and, even though it would be better to face them with you, I am prepared to continue alone."

Arthur looked taken aback by these words. He had expected his servant to simply agree. He had _wanted_ his servant to simply agree. But Merlin was never like that. He should have known. The loyal idiot had always done as he wanted.

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there." he decided and saw hope sparkling in his servant's eyes.

"Actually, most of the time you were there, you were just knocked out." Merlin joked trying to lift the mood. "So I actually thought about a question for you. Want to hear it?" Arthur nodded, he was still thinking about the dangers Merlin had been in, but he felt like he had no right to refuse to answer Merlin's question.

"What happens to you when you are knocked out? Do you just see black, or are you dreaming? Don't get me wrong, I have been unconscious too, but I would like to hear your experience, as you have had more practice doing it." Merlin smiled mischievously.

Arthur laughed, only Merlin could joke when they had serious conversation just a minute ago. "If you have to know, at first I just saw black and woke up somewhere. But the more I got knocked out the better I got at it. Lately I have managed to hear some snippets from things that have been happening around me." Merlin froze hearing this. Could Arthur actually have heard him admitting he had magic to Uther's spirit? Arthur continued "But the things I hear rarely make sense, so I am starting to think they may be hallucinations caused by the many times I have been hit on the head. I'll have to ask Gaius about it when we get back." Merlin calmed down hearing the king admit it.

Meanwhile Arthur had already thought about a question to ask Merlin. "Ready for the next?" he asked.

Merlin just nodded, still thinking about what he had heard.


	8. Chapter 8

"Actually, your question reminded me of one thing I wanted to ask you for some time now." Arthur said, thinking about all the times he had been unconscious.

Merlin raised his head suddenly feeling intrigued. Had Arthur managed to guess his secret from the snippets he heard? He anxiously leaned towards the king and waited for the question.

"To get to the question I have to tell you what my memory tells me. I remember the fight with the Great Dragon, I also remember him knocking me out." Arthur continued.

Merlin felt the excitement leave his body. He hadn't used magic then, so there was no way Arthur would have guessed his secret. "I actually feel disappointed, it seems like I want him to know, seems like I'm ready. But is he?" he thought.

"While I was unconscious I heard some voices. I remember it clearly, because it was one of the first times I heard something while knocked out." Arthur smiled fondly at the memory. Before that time he had always felt horrible after regaining his senses, it had always felt like he had disappeared from the face of the earth for some time. It had been the first time when he understood that while he might have been unable to respond to anything, he was still there, he was still connected to the outside world. Maybe not completely connected but still, better that than nothing.

Merlin looked at his friend in confusion. Why was Arthur smiling about being unconscious? Sure, he had heard voices but that wasn't anything to smile about. What if the voices had been just in his mind? Merlin knew they had been real but his friend had no such knowledge. Maybe the king really needed to get Gaius to look at his head. All those blows obviously had had an impact on his thinking.

"When I woke up the dragon was already gone." Arthur continued. Merlin just looked at his friend waiting for a question and trying to see any signs of mental health problems.

"So tell me honestly what happened while I was lying there." Arthur said sternly and turned to his servant.

"Didn't I already tell you when you woke up?" Merlin asked innocently and tried to avoid the king's eyes. He had been sure the king had believed him when he lied that time.

"Sure you did. And I believed you then. But I was young and had just been knocked out." he shrugged. "The more I think about it the less sense your explanation makes." Arthur said with a sigh.

Merlin just waited for more explanations.

"Fine, here are all the things that don't match. You said I dealt the dragon a mortal blow. Except my spear was lying on the ground when I woke up." Arthur glanced at his servant. "And where did the body of the dragon go? Sure, he might have flown to the mountains but if I "dealt him a mortal blow" then he couldn't have gone far. Surely, someone would have found the body of a giant dragon lying in the woods. So what really happened?"

Merlin made a decision he would tell him slowly. If he wished for Arthur to accept his greatest secret he had to know this one too. Maybe this could be as a test. He began "I sent the dragon away."

Arthur froze in surprise. "But didn't only Dragonlords have that power?" he managed to struggle out. He was in shock, his servant, his thin and weak friend sent away the dragon? And the dragon didn't burn him? It actually obeyed?

"Yes, that is right, only Dragonlords can rule over dragons." Merlin said waiting for the king to figure it out on his own. When he still saw confusion in his friend's eyes he provided another clue "I sent the dragon away and ordered it to never attack Camelot again."

Arthur still looked shocked but slowly he started to understand what Merlin was telling him. "You are a Dragonlord!" he suddenly shouted, shattering the silence. His voice echoed in the cave.

"Yes, Arthur, congratulations, you finally understood. And it only took you two very obvious clues." Merlin couldn't help himself. He felt the need to return to their familiar banter.

Arthur felt no such need. "Why didn't you send him away when he first began to attack Camelot?" he asked still trying to piece together the whole information.

Merlin's good mood immediately disappeared he had hoped Arthur would be content with the truth he had already given him. "I couldn't. I wasn't a Dragonlord then." he said sadly, a tear was close to falling from his eye.

For a moment Arthur couldn't understand his friend's sudden sadness. Then he remembered, Dragonlord powers were passed from father to son. "Balinor" he quietly said, and looked at Merlin with question in his eyes.

Merlin nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't trust himself to speak. Even though he had known his father only for a few days the loss still hurt. The tears he shed were not only for the times they had spent together, they were for the time they had never had, the conversations they never had and would never have.

He cried about his mother who had lost her love twice – once when his father left and the second time when he died. He remembered her face when he told her. He remembered the hug she gave her and felt surprised when he felt the hug even now. He opened his eyes and saw Arthur with his hands around him.

The king had acted without thinking. He had thought Freya's death had hurt his friend. The hurt he saw now was much bigger. His arms had found their way to his friend and his eyes filled with tears on their own account. Arthur couldn't have explained it but it physically hurt him to see his friend crying so desperately.

The Great Dragon would have told him that they are two halves – when one is hurting the other feels it too. But the dragon wasn't there, so Arthur was left in the dark about the hurt he felt.

Seeing such compassion coming from his friend who usually kept his emotions hidden calmed Merlin. It also gave him hope that Arthur might be ready. His friend had cried with him and showed no negative feelings about the admission of possessing powers that are outlawed in Camelot. Merlin felt a smile starting to appear on his tear streaked face.

Arthur lifted his head from his friend's shoulder and saw the smile. As a reflex he felt himself smile too. Becoming aware of what he was doing Arthur quickly released his hold on Merlin. But he still couldn't wipe the smile of his face.

They both understood each other completely. Their smiles weren't smiles of victory. They weren't there because of the hug. The smiles had appeared on their faces because they knew they would always be there for each other. And they stayed there because they felt completely happy in that revelation. Time passed and they still smiled and gazed at each other.

Finally they snapped out of it. Now that the moment was gone both started to feel embarrassed about what had just happened. So Merlin stood up and mumbled an excuse that he wanted to see if there was any water in the cave. He hurried away leaving Arthur sitting on the rock.

Arthur, while feeling uncomfortable about the deep understanding they had just shared, felt no need to run. Thinking about Merlin as Dragonlord was, admittedly, strange. He still tried to wrap his head around the fact that his servant had such power. Of course, the idea of punishing Merlin about it in accordance with Camelot's laws was unimaginable.

The king made a decision, he would have to change the law when they get back; he couldn't punish Merlin for his power, especially when he had gained it through such loss. Arthur glanced at the exit of the cave. The entrance was still full of rocks. "What bigger secret could Merlin hide?" he wondered.


	9. Chapter 9

While Arthur sat looking at the entrance of the cave Merlin went further into it. He needed to be alone to think about his secret and how best to reveal it. He also felt that Arthur had needed time to fully understand what he had heard, his friend needed time to adjust to the knowledge he had gained. Admittedly, he had shown great compassion and understanding moments ago but Merlin wanted the king to be completely sure about his decision. The king had to be confident if he would decide to break the law for him. Merlin hoped, better yet, he knew it in his heart that Arthur would not punish him for being a Dragonlord. And maybe when Merlin told him the big secret Arthur would see his magic as something similar to the Dragonlord powers. Merlin knew the two were completely different but for Arthur they may seem similar. And if the king would break the law for a Dragonlord why couldn't he do it for a warlock?

Deep in thought Merlin saw a puddle on the ground. He crouched down by it and washed his face. Immediately he felt like all his worries were washed away. They disappeared just like the traces of the tears on his cheeks. Merlin blinked in wonder. Did the water have magical abilities? If the water helped ease his worries maybe it would help his friend calm his mind too. Merlin stood up, turned around and run back to where he had left Arthur.

Arthur tore his gaze from the cave when he heard Merlin approaching. He was ready to tell his friend about his decision to change the laws of Camelot when Merlin interrupted him.

"Come, I found something." Merlin said and turned around without waiting for Arthur to respond. The king had no choice but to follow his servant.

"This isn't how it's supposed to be, I always have to walk in front" Arthur thought grumpily but smiled. They had never followed that tradition, there was no need to start now, no matter how their opinions about each other might have changed.

Knowing nothing of his friend's thoughts Merlin happily led Arthur to the puddle. The king looked at his friend with disbelief.

"You brought me all this way to show that you found a puddle?" he asked sceptically. "Well done, Merlin, now I can finally see what listening to you has done to my face. Have I aged horribly?" he asked with a smirk.

"Don't blame me on your age, it's not my fault you have bad genes and eat like a pig." Merlin replied playfully. Arthur lightly showed him, resorting to his usual response to Merlin's comments.

"There is more to this puddle than meets the eye." Merlin said seriously. Arthur became interested. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. As soon as I washed my face with its water I felt great, I had no worries. You should try it." Merlin urged his friend.

"No thank you. I'm not worried and even if I were I wouldn't need a puddle to calm me down, I'm the king, I–" his speech was interrupted when Merlin threw water at him. Hearing the king's refusal he had immediately crouched down by the puddle, gathered water in his palms and splashed it in his face.

At first Arthur felt the need to yell at his servant and ask for explanation but then he felt calm and relaxed. "I guess you were right. Let's get back to our rocks, get comfortable and finish our conversation."

They slowly started to walk back towards the entrance of the cave. They felt no need to rush, they enjoyed the serenity around them.

When they finally got back to their rocks the effects of the water had almost disappeared. Arthur leaned against the wall of the cave and left out a sigh. He had never though magic could make him feel so good. Until now all of the magic he had seen had been either for personal gain or to cause hurt to others. But this felt completely different, there was no evil intention, there was no personal reason for it to be there, it just was. It existed for no particular purpose. How could magic simply exist?

All the wonderings about magic cleared his mind, the effects of the water completely disappeared. He started to feel worry. "Merlin?" he nervously started.

Merlin looked at his friend.

"That was magic, right?" Arthur continued. Merlin nodded.

"How could it feel so good? Magic corrupts, I have seen it with my own eyes in Morgana." He asked trying to understand his experience.

"Not all magic corrupts. Morgana…" Merlin couldn't finish the sentence. With the calming effect gone he felt worry that Morgana had forever destroyed any chance of Arthur seeing magic as good.

Meanwhile Arthur had thought of another question for Merlin, a question that he felt would shed some light on how Morgana changed so much.

"Why does Morgana hate you?" he decided to be straight forward. Merlin blinked his eyes in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that.

"I have noticed that every time we meet her Morgana displays extreme hate for you. Why is that? I know she hates me and Guinevere too but at least she, in her own mind, has a reason to – we are standing in the way of her ruling over Camelot. But you are no such obstacle. At best, she should feel dislike for you as my servant, not the intense hatred she does." Arthur tried to explain the question.

Knowing there was no way to avoid answering Merlin decided to be blunt.

"I poisoned her." Arthur's jaw dropped in surprise. Before he could say anything Merlin continued. "Remember when the entire castle was asleep except for her? She was the vessel that kept the curse going. As long as she lived, Camelot would have fallen. I found all this out when I went to "search for clothes for Uther". Actually, I went to consult an old creature that has wisdom beyond our imagination – The Great Dragon."

Arthur opened his mouth to interrupt. Merlin stopped him with a wave of a hand.

"Let me finish, I would rather let it all out in one go." The servant looked pleading at the king. Arthur closed his mouth.

Merlin continued "When he told me Morgana had to die if Camelot was to be saved I begged for any other way. He told me there was none. I was starting to feel the effects of the spell, there was little time. So I did what had to be done. I went to Gaius's chambers and took a powerful poison – hemlock. When you went out of the room to fight the Knights of Medhir I tricked Morgana into drinking the poison. I held her as her life left her. When Morgause came in I exchanged the name of the poison for the lifting of the curse. Morgause took her away and the rest you know." Merlin finished and left out a deep breath.

"You didn't even try to find other solutions? You just went straight for the poison? You didn't think to check what would have happened if you got her out of Camelot?" Arthur asked, getting angrier and angrier.

"What could I have done? You were there. Would you have believed if I told you your sister was responsible for everything? Take her out of Camelot? Sure, I would have just told you: "Hey, you stay here and possibly die; we will take a stroll out in the woods." Merlin was practically screaming at Arthur. The king was shocked. He had never seen his friend this upset. He took a step back in shock.

Merlin noticed it and immediately calmed down. He rubbed his temples. "Had I not been affected by the spell I could have found another way. But what is done is done. This is my deepest regret but I have learned to live with it. Every time we meet her I think about how different it all could have been." Arthur put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We all have regrets." he said seeing his friend's deep sorrow.

"Yes, but my mistake has cost lives. Sure, Morgana had started to distance herself from us before the poisoning. But I think the poison sped it up. Without it there would have been more time for me to change her mind. My actions led her down the path of evil." Merlin hid his face in his hands. Arthur looked at the man beside him. He looked so young. And yet, he had experienced suffering beyond his years.

Suddenly Merlin lifted his head and a sad smile decorated his face. "As an answer to your question – she hates me because I made her who she is now. She hates me and she has every right to do so."

Arthur had no words of comfort. He had never seen his servant so defeated. So he did the only thing he could. He grabbed his friend in a hug. And in the hug the words came to him.

"You did the best you could."

And Merlin felt safe. He felt right. And most of all, he felt ready.


	10. Chapter 10

Several hours had passed since the last question. At least it felt like that. In reality it might have been just mere minutes, they had no way of knowing for sure. Both men were deep in thought.

Arthur thought about his friend, the sacrifices he had made, the many times he had apparently saved them all. But most of all he thought about how all these secrets hadn't caused him to change his opinion about Merlin. He was still the same loyal, clumsy idiot who made mistakes but had the best intentions. If anything, knowing that Merlin had survived all that and still stayed himself, he still could put a smile on his face… It made Arthur appreciate his friend – over the years Arthur's opinion about his servant had been slowly but unstoppably grown but seeing the strength Merlin possessed and his humbleness made Arthur respect Merlin even more. Arthur started to see that the wisdom which he had glimpsed before in his servant had always been there.

Merlin had survived losing the love of his life. Arthur had thought being betrayed by Guinevere was painful. He could not imagine what it would feel like to lose her.

Merlin had lost his father. Arthur could relate to that but at least he had spent years with him. At least Arthur had got to know his father over the time they had spent together. Merlin had found and lost his in a couple of days.

Merlin had made an incredibly difficult decision under pressure. He had lived with his decisions all this time. When choosing between his friend and the whole of Camelot Merlin had chosen Camelot. Arthur could understand that, he had always put Camelot before all else. He was sure that under the same circumstances he would have done the same. But for him it was his duty as a king, Merlin didn't have such obligations.

Arthur knew regrets – killing the unicorn, the death of Guinevere's father. But he knew they didn't even stand close to what Merlin felt. How hard it must have been to poison Morgana. And how much harder it must have been to see the results of his actions, the events which he perhaps, though Arthur doubted it, could have stopped.

Arthur lifted his head. He saw Merlin walking around the cave, watching the walls with a peaceful expression. And at that moment he knew. Whatever the secret was, it would not change anything between them. Just like all the answers before hadn't changed anything. Well, they had slightly changed his opinion of his friend but there had been no harm done. If anything, it had been for the best. Arthur had always suspected that there was more to Merlin than meets the eye. Now he just had proof of it.

Meanwhile Merlin thought about thought about the cave itself. He thought about the voice they had heard at the beginning. He silently thanked it, for it had known it was time even when he himself had not. He felt calm, he was confident in his friendship with Arthur.

Merlin looked at the king sitting on the rock and sat down next to him. Arthur smiled at him. The smile was reassuring Merlin of his decision. He felt the urge to just say it. He opened his mouth… And Arthur beat him to it.

"I know you want to tell me your secret now. But when have I let you do what you wanted?" he smiled mischievously. Sure, Arthur was curious to hear the "big secret" as he had dubbed it in his head, he just wanted to try and guess it before Merlin blurted it out.

Merlin closed his mouth and opened it again to protest.

"No, not a word! I have one last question." Arthur stopped him feeling excited. He had to quickly think of a question to buy himself time to think.

Merlin decided to humour him. "Let the king get what he wants, maybe then he will listen better and not be such a prat" he thought.

Taking Merlin's silence as agreement Arthur started "Gaius tells you everything he knows. Correct?" Merlin nodded, looking confused, as the question made no sense to him.

Arthur had no idea where he was going with the question. Then it hit him. Arthur smirked. "What do you know about Dragoon the Great?"

Merlin almost fell off his rock. He had not expected that. In truth, even Arthur hadn't expected that. What had started as simple time waste for him had come out as a mystery that genuinely interested him.

Arthur continued "Once I questioned Gaius about him and he would not tell me anything." Seeing his friend's questioning look he added "Don't worry, I don't want to punish him. I just want to thank him. After careful thinking about all his actions I have come to the conclusion that he had helped me and Guinevere greatly. And after speaking with Gaius I have become confident that he didn't mean to kill my father. And he actually looked a bit familiar… So, what can you tell me about Dragoon the Great?" the king finished, and waited for the answer.

Merlin almost laughed. This was perfect! Now he could answer, that is, follow Arthur's request, and at the same time ignore it by revealing his secret. So he decided to just go for it. However, he made sure to keep his gaze on Arthur. He wouldn't miss the king's reaction for anything.

Merlin simply replied "I'm Dragoon."

Arthur fell off his rock with a thud.

Merlin laughed, he was right, Arthur's reaction was priceless. He was going to remember it forever and tease the king when he would become insufferable again. With a playful smile he continued. "I have so much fun when I'm him. Well, except when Uther died and you ordered to arrest me. That was not fun. But all the good times – the piggyback, knocking out the knights and then stepping on them to get on my horse, insulting the cook, accusing you of breaking my pot. You could say Dragoon is me when I can do what I want without any restrictions."

Arthur looked at him in disbelief. "I know this is the Cave of Verities but you can't expect me to believe that you are an 80 year old sorcerer. Even though there were some similarities between you two, that is just ridiculous."

"I am a warlock, not a sorcerer." Merlin felt the need to correct his friend.

"Of course I'm not 80 years old! That was a disguise so I could help you directly without fearing for my life. Remember, you almost burned Dragoon at the stake" Merlin said sighing at Arthur's thickness. Only his friend would doubt the things that are said in The Cave of Verities – a magical cave that has the word "verities" in its name.

Arthur looked shocked. So he had almost burned his best friend at the stake. It could not be, it was not possible. Could it really be so? He refused to believe it.

Merlin saw Arthur's inner battle. "Oh well, if you don't believe me I'll just have to show you." With that he stood up and muttered a few words in a language Arthur did not recognise. His eyes turned gold. Surprisingly, Arthur had even forgotten that Merlin had confessed to having magic. All his thoughts were focused on what was happening before his eyes.

His best friend aged right in front of him. Arthur had never seen anything more fascinating and terrifying. Meanwhile Merlin enjoyed the look of complete and utter surprise on Arthur's face. He knew he would never forget this moment.

The transformation was complete. Now Arthur recognised his servant hiding under the usual scowl of Dragoon the Great. And he knew they would be alright.

Because Merlin's biggest secret still didn't change anything. Merlin being Dragoon just showed Arthur that magic had no way of corrupting someone as pure as Merlin. His friend had been given the opportunity to do anything without any consequences, without anyone knowing his real identity. And he had decided to get a piggyback from him. The thought made him laugh.

Merlin saw acceptance in Arthur's eyes and a smile bloomed on his face. Arthur returned the smile and sat down on the rock motioning Merlin to sit beside him.

"You're an elderly man now, Merlin. Or should I say Dragoon the Great?" Arthur started laughing. "You can't keep standing like that, you have to take care of your health. Do you need me to get you a cane?" he teased with a playful smile.

Merlin lightly punched Arthur's arm. "I'm very healthy, thank you very much. And if I ever have problems walking I can always take the royal piggyback express" he answered with a joke of his own. They looked each other in the eyes and started laughing. For Arthur it was still too weird to look at the old man beside him and know it was Merlin. For Merlin the laughter came from remembering Arthur's expression from moments ago.

The two friends sat on the rocks and were completely absorbed in their own little world. All they wanted now was to simply sit and talk about all the adventures they had experienced together. Arthur wanted to know all about Merlin's magic and Merlin was happy to tell it all.

Neither of them noticed the rocks disappearing from the entrance of the cave. And even if they had noticed neither of them would care. Because getting out of the cave has stopped being their goal a long time ago.

The questions had started as means of getting to the secret so they could leave the cave. But in the end they had turned into something more. Each question and each answer just helped to prove what they already knew – that they, the king and his servant, the warrior and his warlock, were friends. Everything else – the secrets they kept, their social status, the magic and the mistakes – was not important. They had entered the cave as good friends, each knowing that but not admitting it to another. They would come out as best friends, ready to defend and listen to each other but most of all, confident in their friendship.

Now they had truly become the Arthur and Merlin from the legends – the friends that would bring about the golden age of Albion.

**A/N: So, that is it, this was the last chapter. I hope you liked the chapter and I hope you liked the whole story. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, I didn't expect any of it. Your reviews were wonderful. You are all wonderful. I never thought so many people would read this… Again, thank you all very very much.**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: I didn't originally plan to write an epilogue, but since ****_Mika271170_**** and ****_Irene_**** wanted one I decided to quickly write it. So enjoy, you two :) Of course, anyone else can enjoy it too. But anyone who doesn't like epilogues or liked how the previous chapter ended and felt no need for an epilogue, feel free to ignore the following text. :)**

When the knights finally found the cave they were surprised. There were no obstacles that would make returning to Camelot impossible for the king and his servant. Yet they had been missing for three days. And it looked like they were in no hurry to leave the weird cave.

Gwaine looked at his friends in the cave, ignored the strange colours and shrugged. "What is everyone so concerned about? They look fine" he thought. But when he got closer to Merlin and Arthur his thoughts changed. They had always had a unique way of communication but this had gone too far.

"Immortal army?" Arthur asked.

"Yes" Merlin replied.

"Morgause?" Arthur asked again.

Merlin nodded.

"Every time I was knocked out?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Merlin smiled. „Of course" he said proudly.

Gwaine had never seen or heard a weirder conversation. He had to stop it or the other knights might start to question the sanity of their king.

"Hey, princess, why are you sitting in a cave when it is so nice outside?" he said loudly to draw attention to himself. It worked; Merlin and Arthur immediately stopped their conversation and looked at him. Gwaine realized they hadn't even noticed him or any of the other knights approaching them.

"Oh, look, there are no more rocks in the entrance" Arthur said without real surprise in his voice and got up to greet the knight.

"How much time has passed?" he asked suddenly curious.

"Three days. How did you not notice that you could leave? Are you really that unobservant?" Gwaine asked closely watching his king.

"I was unobservant and ignorant before but all that will change" Arthur replied deep in thought. He looked a bit taken aback that so much time had passed.

Merlin saw this and tried to explain. "I think the cave made it so we wouldn't feel hungry or thirsty. Or maybe it just froze time for us. Either way I don't feel like I haven't eaten for three days, do you?"

Arthur shook his head. Then he made a decision. "Fine, let's go home, I have many changes to make." He sent a secret smile in Merlin's direction. Gwaine noticed this and became even more confused but decided to let it go. It wasn't his place to question the relationship between the king and his best and oldest friend.

* * *

The ride back to Camelot was quiet but it didn't feel uncomfortable. Even Gwaine, who usually couldn't stop talking, kept his mouth shut. This was mainly due to Arthur and Merlin. One of them was thinking about what he would do when they got back. The other simply thought that he had talked enough in the cave and deserved a break from using his voice.

Nearing Camelot the pace of the riders became faster and soon they were inside the city's walls.

Gaius welcomed them in the town square and immediately hugged Merlin as tightly as he could.

Gwen came running out of the castle and into the arms of her husband. "I missed you so much, I was so worried. Don't ever disappear like that again" she whispered in his ear. Arthur kissed Guinevere and reassured her that he wouldn't do that. Then he turned to his knights and asked them to assemble everyone in the throne room. The knights hurried to carry out the order.

Hearing the order Merlin, who had finally wiggled himself out of the tight hug, gave Arthur a questioning look. Arthur just smiled and started to make his way to the throne room through the crowd that had gathered at their arrival.

* * *

Quiet murmur sounded in the room. Everyone was wondering what their king had to tell them after three days of disappearance.

Arthur looked at his subjects and started talking. "I have gathered you all here to announce certain changes in the laws of Camelot that will become effective from this day onwards." The room became completely silent.

"In these three days I have found out many truths that have made me question my beliefs and, most of all, the laws of Camelot. The cave helped me see the good in magic" The people gasped in shock. Arthur paid it no attention and continued. "And it has made me see my servant" he motioned to Merlin, "in a new light."

"Therefore, I have made the decision. Magic and Dragonlords, even though there is only one," the king flashed Merlin a knowing smile. "are no longer outlawed in Camelot." The people in the room froze in shock.

"I believe you will see the good this decision will bring. Until then I appoint Merlin, my servant, to be my new advisor." Merlin looked surprised. He had expected the change of laws but the promotion came as a surprise.

"He shall become my advisor in matters concerning magic. But that does not mean I will not listen to his opinions regarding non magical affairs." Arthur smiled warmly at his surprised friend.

Gwaine was the first one to break the silence in the hall. "Long live the King! And long live Merlin, his magical advisor!" he shouted. It didn't take long for the rest of the hall to join him.

* * *

As the years passed Camelot grew and became known as Albion. Merlin and Arthur were still friends. All people in Albion knew they had to thank Merlin for saving them from the occasional magical disaster. And all people knew about his past adventures because of the librarian of Camelot, Geoffrey of Monmouth.

The librarian had decided that such great friendship as Arthur's and Merlin's had to be taken down in history. So he had written a book about all their battles and obstacles they had overcome to bring the golden age to the country.

And while Merlin and Arthur had found it to be ridiculous to have a book written about them, Gaius had been happy to help. They had written the book together and the people loved it every citizen of Albion and even in the lands beyond it had read it.

Though it made Arthur a bit uncomfortable that the people now knew everything about him he found joy in the knowledge that all Merlin's heroic deeds were widely known.

"Finally Merlin had received the recognition he deserved" he thought sitting in his chambers and watching his and Merlin's children run around playing warlocks and knights.

Merlin had married Sefa, Guinevere's former maid who had returned to Camelot. Their love wasn't like what he had shared with Freya. They possessed deep respect and understanding for each other, over years these feelings grew into love. They were happy together and Arthur was happy for them. He knew Merlin deserved every good thing he got.

After all, he was the king's idiotic, clumsy, insolent, witty, goodhearted, brave, and, most of all, magical friend who had saved them all countless times.


	12. Not a real chapter, the story is done

Hey!

I saw that a lot of you are still following the story and decided to use it to my gain (insert evil hand rubbing here) :D

So anyway, I have started a new story, you can check it out if you want to. Here, to make it easier for you to find it (if you want) or ignore it here's a link: s/9389584/1/The-Hole.

That is all,

Thank you all again for reading my first finished multi-chapter story and leaving wonderful reviews. I appreciate every single one of them. :)

Have a great day!


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